Win £1,000: Take the Great British Retirement Survey

Take part in our new survey and you could be in with a chance of winning £1,000 or one of five £100 shopping vouchers.

The days of retiring on your 65th birthday after receiving a carriage clock from the colleagues you've spent the last 40 years with are long gone.

The retirement dreams and the retirement realities will be different for each and every one of us and this is why Moneywise is launching the Great British Retirement Survey.

21st century retirement is a much more flexible concept: both in terms of when you retire and what you do with this new stage of life.

While many relish putting their feet up and spending more time with family and friends, others will carry on doing work of some shape or form.

Retirement may just mean embracing a new type of work: reducing your hours, exploring new opportunities or working for yourself. You may need to keep earning, but it might be that you simply enjoy the intellectual challenge and social interaction work provides.

Work takes many forms and not all of it paid. Many retirees get involved with volunteering while others may have pressing calls from family whether it's mucking in with childcare or looking after a dependent or older relative.

It's not just retirement lifestyles that differ. Fewer of us are retiring wholly on comfortable final salary schemes, while pension freedoms – which were introduced in April 2015 – mean over 55s with defined contribution schemes can do what they want with their retirement savings.

The options are numerous and it's down to retirees to build a financial plan that not only meets their income requirements but provides the necessary flexibility and peace of mind.

For some retirement could be a very gradual transition or wind-down. The pension freedoms make it much easier to take a phased approach – without any sudden shocks to your lifestyle or finances it could be an easier adjustment.

However, there will always be retirees that crave the more traditional retirement.

To better help you plan and prepare we want to know the hopes and aspirations of those who are yet to retire, and we also want to know how those who have already retired are faring.

Without resorting to hackneyed stereotypes (golf anyone?) we want to paint a realistic picture of retirement in modern Britain. But we'll need your help and the participation of as many people as possible.

Whether you are in the run up to retirement or have already retired please pour yourself a cuppa and complete our survey. You can also help spread the word by telling friends and family and sharing on social media.

This article was originally published in our sister magazine Moneywise. Click here to subscribe.

These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

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